Paragons by megamatt09
Summary:Harry Potter always has been determined to the point of madness. The coming Crisis will test his determination even more. Harry/Multi.
Chapter One:
Many magical scholars agreed that Halloween Night lent itself to larger amounts of mystical energies in the air. The spirits which loomed closer to the barrier between life and death, created a huge influx of tantric energy. One which allowed for the opportunity for magical rituals, which rarely had any benefit other than chaos and destruction.
This Halloween night was no exception. A very eerie and very old manor house had been the setting. Two hooded individuals waited outside and guarded the home. Anyone who showed up, they would have to alert the men on the inside immediately, and the problem would be taken care of.
Unfortunately for them, they sought out individuals who could not be seen. And the individual who crept through the shadows could not be seen. One of the individuals dropped down. Another had been grabbed from behind right before he could register the downfall of his fellow wizard.
"Trick or treat."
The faint whisper had been the last thing this particular wizard heard, before he had been cradled for unconsciousness.
Halloween night, a night which defined the life of Harry Potter, as much as he had loathed to admit it. Twenty years ago, Lord Voldemort fell for the first time, and Harry became the Boy-Who-Lived. Now, a few years after Voldemort's ultimate defeat, Harry hunted for the last few Death Eaters on Halloween night.
These Death Eaters could not leave well enough alone. With the guards taken out, Harry slipped inside, invisible to the world. And invisible to the detection spells.
Harry surveyed the scene. The beginnings of the usual bad guy monologue caught his attention.
"Soon, we will rise. More powerful than ever."
The voice caught Harry's attention. It was Bellatrix's idiot husband. And then there was Bellatrix's even more idiotic brother-in-law. The Lestrange Brothers, two of Voldemort's most notorious Death Eaters, were among those who Harry had left to hunt.
"For the architect of the Dark Lord's demise has previously been given power on this Halloween Night twenty years ago. However, the doom of the Chosen One will begin on this night as well."
Some people could not leave well enough alone. Harry spotted them in the midst of some kind of ritual. The idiotic minions on the surface fell one at a time before they could figure out.
"Someone is here!"
Harry appeared in a flash and wiped out the Death Eater who tried to give up his location. Then, in a blink of an eye, he dropped down and cracked both one of the Death Eaters down.
Dolohov, another one of Voldemort's inner circle, still at large, rushed at Harry. A flash of purple light met a shield. Harry repelled Dolohov's attack, and caused several nasty cuts to appear on the dark wizard's body. Then one more brutal concussive force sent Dolohov up in the air and down to impale him against a rusty old pipe jutting out against a wall.
"Potter!" the lesser Lestrange brother yelled.
The foul smelling potion Bellatrix's idiot husband poured on the rune stones hissed. Harry knew what was about to happen immediately.
If Dolohov had not been killed by the pipe, he would have been killed by the explosion. One large concussive blast later, and the room filled with a nasty smog.
A portal opened up and Harry braced himself for the figure which flew out of the portal.
Drones appeared from the portal. Harry raised an eyebrow in astonishment. Once the smoke cleared, Rodolphus looked enraged.
"Muggle machines?"
The drones appeared to fly around erratically, confused. Harry prepared for some kind of attack. But, with the drones, came a figure.
The dust cleared, and Harry came face to face with an extremely attractive blonde woman. She wore a cape and what appeared to be a glorified cheerleader outfit, tight blue shirt, skirt which showcased her fantastic legs, and with a Red "S" plastered upon her chest. Despite this outlandish outfit, Harry had to admit, she was less conspicuous.
The woman turned around. The drones fired at everyone. Flying girl, Harry, idiotic Death Eaters who thought opening a magical portal on Halloween night was a good idea. Harry's focus shifted on the more dangerous threat, these drones, and most important what was powering them.
Green rocks, green rocks which caused the mysterious flying woman's face to contort and also painful looking green veins to begin to flash on it. She tried to power through, but it could not be healthy at all.
Harry figured out how to transfigure the rocks. It also depowered the machines in the process and dropped them down to the ground. The woman's eyes widened and then she flashed Harry a smile.
"Thanks!"
Mysterious flying woman in a skirt returned the favor and kicked the lesser Lestrange brother into the wall. He flew down and Harry put him down for the count even further.
"CRUCIO!"
Idiot Death Eaters and their Unforgivables. The mysterious flying woman, still a bit weakened from the exposure to the green rocks, had her legs wobble and shake. She screamed out loud.
Only ten seconds worth of pain before Harry disarmed Bellatrix's useless husband. Literally, as the spell sliced his arm off. He likely would bleed to death, but it was no great loss.
"Here."
"Looks like I need to watch my back. Please don't mention this to my sister."
"We need to get you out of here," Harry said. "The Ministry won't understand."
Harry was not sure he understood who or what she was either, but he did not want the Ministry picking her apart either. Harry picked up a piece of rubble and slid it into the woman's hand.
"I'll see you in a little bit. Once I've cleaned this up."
Aghast, the flying cheerleader likely had many questions. Something which Harry would answer in due time. Right now, he needed to get her out of here, and clean up this mess.
Fortunately, the Lestrange Brothers were taken care of. However, Harry had to verify whether or not anything else other than drones and a flying woman did not escape from that portal.
Almost on cue, the house also began to swarm with Ministry Aurors. A day late and a dollar shot. Harry supposed a fire fight would attract attention eventually.
Kara Zor-El had so many questions right now. She had been dealing with Cadmus, and then suddenly, there had been a bright light. Then she ended up in this strange, old mansion, fighting alongside some dark-haired man with green eyes. Who was pretty hot, Kara was not going to lie.
Still, she appeared in the house.
"Follow the light."
A low voice, with a British accent caught Kara completely off guard.
"Just walk along the light, to the bedroom. Mind the tapestry. Harry will be here to answer all of your questions when he's back."
Oh, Kara once again tried to wrap her head around it. She had been in the middle of things at Cadmus and she appeared in a circle. The figures, other than this Harry, apparently, had been wearing robes which made them look like they were some kind of cult. Although the mysterious green-eyed gentleman saved Kara by getting rid of the Kryptonite and also stopping whatever weapon the leader of these hoods got her.
Granting, slicing off of the guy's arm might have been a tiny bit extreme. But, given the circumstances and the sheer pain Kara felt, even if it could not be any more than a minute, she did not.
Although, Kara had been more concerned with how she got here and how she got home. And also worried that Alex was on a warpath. For all Kara knew, her sister could be upset that the Cadmus weapon which Kara encountered atomized her.
But instead, she showed up somewhere else. And Kara really wanted answers. Badly.
Kara sank down on the bed and waited. At least it was comfortable.
"I know you have questions."
Harry's guest looked up and nodded. She seemed slightly annoyed and Harry could not blame her. He would be a bit angry too if he had been plucked out of wherever, and sent here.
"I could use some help though," Harry continued. "Because, I have no idea who you are or how you got here, or no offense, what you are, or anything?"
"Wait, you don't...you don't know who I am?"
"Yes. I don't. And I take it you don't know who I am."
"Yes, well the house told me your name is Harry."
Harry could be slightly amused by the look on her face. It appeared that she realized just how silly it sounded.
"It must be some kind of advanced artificial intelligence, or something like that, right?"
"Yes, something like that. My name is Harry Potter."
"Kara Zor-El, they call me Supergirl."
"Supergirl, and not Superwoman?"
Kara just smiled and shook her head.
"Don't get me started. My old boss coined the name, it stuck, and here I am. My cousin is Superman, and if you haven't heard of me, I'm guessing you haven't heard of him."
To be honest, if Kara could choose her name, she would have chosen something a bit more badass, like Flamebird or something. But, Supergirl had been such a symbol of hope, that it would be kind of pointless to change it now. And she did appreciate what it meant, even if it was not her first choice.
"I crossed over to your Earth, didn't I?" Kara asked. "I mean, it makes sense. There was this guy who was from an alternate Earth that I met last year. And now, you're here."
"Well, that's the best explanation for anything," Harry said.
"Do you know of any way I can get back?" she asked. "It's just that, well there's this evil group called Cadmus, who they're plotting to take out all the aliens, and I have to stop them. But I can't stop them if I'm here."
"I understand the urgency," Harry replied. "But, you're in no condition to fight. After taking the Cruciatus Curse."
Kara realized that Harry must have been talking about that paint thing. But, he was not done.
"And opening up another portal is not going to be easy, now that the Ministry of Magic is at high alert."
"Yeah, but I can fight….I'm fine."
Kara stood up, and then almost dropped down. Harry gently grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed. His strong arms wrapped around her caused Kara's heart to beat faster, although that was not the only reason.
"You're hot."
"Um thanks."
"No, you have a fever."
Oh, well that made more sense, Kara supposed. Harry ran a hand down onto her and caused Kara to shiver. He pulled back.
"You have a green piece of rock impaled inside of your body."
"I….it's called Kryptonite. Because, well it's a long story."
Harry studied and oh, she had been poisoned very slowly. Thankfully, Harry had not been a moment too soon. He brushed his hand over Kara's body, to make sure he found anything.
"I've got to get it out, because it's wreaking havoc on your nervous system. Now this will hurt."
Harry penetrated Kara's body with his magic and ripped the Kryptonite out. He magically cleaned all of the particles out of her body.
"Okay?"
"Yeah, but...oh Rao, it hurts like hell."
"Drink this. Pain reliever."
Kara normally would not take a drink from a guy she just met, but there was something about Harry which broke down her barriers. She took it and felt a bit more relaxed. At least the searing pain had faded.
"You should get some rest. I have some idiots at the Ministry which I have to appease."
Thankfully, Harry had been fluent in the art of bullshit as of late. One kind of had to, to deal with the Ministry of Magic on a day to day basis, especially with the direction they have taken after the fall of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
"I swear it sounds like you're in a cult."
Even through her slurred words, Kara realized how insensitive that sounded.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to…."
"No, it's fine. It feels like it sometimes. Alia will get you anything you need. And I'll be back too soon. I've removed some of the restrictions in the house, so you can move more freely, although please don't leave. Because, while I'm dropping the internal defenses, the outer ones have to be enhanced, just in case someone ends up snooping around."
"Right," Kara said. "And we'll figure out how to get me back home."
"Yeah, once I'm back."
Harry made sure Kara was safely in bed and then went off. He paused before heading outside of the door, bracing himself for what was going to happen next.
"Alia, keep an eye on her."
"Yes, and she is quite lovely."
"I know."
"Once again, you enter a dangerous situation without any backup. And without informing us what you were doing."
The lecture was coming. Harry casually checked his watch.
"You have the Lestrange Brothers in almost one piece, don't you?"
"Yes, we did, and those are the last followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
Harry rolled his eyes. Three bloody years, Voldemort had been dead, and they still insisted on not using his name. The taboo had been long since invalidated and Voldemort suffered a fate worse than death.
"At the very least, you could call him Riddle, if you're still terrified of a pretend name. And what would you expect me to do? Wait for the Ministry to form a task force to investigate the evidence that I collected to finally bring the Lestrange Brothers in. They would have gone back underground if they knew I was onto them. So, I had to strike. So add this one to my record, and also know that you would still have Death Eaters at large if it wasn't for me."
Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he noticed a bushy-haired brunette witch rise. He wondered when she would make herself heard.
"This Council recognizes Hermione Jean Granger."
The witch bit down on her lip, but pressed forward.
"Mr. Potter, Rodolphus and his brother, upon the scene, they made claims there was a flying girl who came out of the portal. Did you see such an individual?"
Harry threw it back at the Wizengamot's token Muggleborn representative.
"Well, Miss Granger, you should know that the Lestrange Brothers are completely insane. Bellatrix's idiot husband lost a lot of blood after I divorced his arm from his body. The other one suffered severe head trauma. They spent years in Azkaban. They performed a magical ritual which they could not comprehend, but all they appeared to do was leave behind a hideous smell which I'm sure would go away."
"But, the claim of the flying woman…."
"Delusions of a madman," Harry persisted. "There was no flying woman. Just Muggle attack drones which they pulled through the portal."
"But, could this woman be some kind of dangerous magical creature? The Lestranges were trying to summon it?"
"Yes," Blaise Zabini added. "I feel we should not take Mr. Potter at his word. Because, he could be covering someone up, to destabilize this Ministry and incite an insurrection against our world. Need I remind you how he has been brought to this council approximately eighty four times in the past two years for inquiries about potential subversive behavior."
"Eighty seven actually," Harry said, almost bored.
"That being said, any magical creature found should be brought to the Ministry, for their threat level to be assessed. It's your duty to comply and report anything to the Ministry."
"Wow, you're really fixated on believing the words of two Death Eaters," Harry said. "And don't think I've seen some of the methods you've begun to set up to try and monitor your own magical citizens. Let's face it, you're not happy that I have the clout and the ability to live a private life, because you want every magical citizen and their movements monitored by the Ministry from cradle to grave. You don't want another Voldemort to happen, but instead of peace, you've created a world straight out of 1984. Anyone who says anything the Ministry doesn't like is accused of inciting an insurrection."
Harry paused and turned to the token Muggleborn on the court.
"And I'm sure, Ms. Granger will happily explain it to you. She should have read it and she should know better. Although, I fear that some of you would use it as a guidebook and not a cautionary tale."
Hermione found the ground very interesting at this point. Good, she should be guilty of becoming the very thing that she crusaded against for years.
"Mr. Potter, if you have any concerns about how the Ministry is run, then you should tell us. And we'll take your concerns under advisement."
Harry did tell them his concerns. Repeatedly. They refused to listen. Repeatedly. They gave him this bullshit answer. Repeatedly.
"But, we should remind Mr. Potter he took a magical oath to uphold the law."
"No, my oath was to ensure that I did what was right for the people," Harry said. "Something which you lost the plot of. But, you know something, you won't have to worry about me. I'm done. Lestranges are done. Consider this my two week's notice. Good day."
Harry left the room without another word. There might be a lot of people who would agree with Harry, but they were afraid to speak up against the Ministry, not to be branded subversive. The only reason why they were afraid to go too far against Harry, is because he was beloved elsewhere in Europe and Britain would be cut off from the ICW if they tried to brand him as subversive.
"Mr. Potter, we're not done!"
However, he disappeared in a blink of an eye.
"He'll be back. Where else does he have to go?"
A sweet aroma roused Kara out of her sleep. She entered the kitchen to see Harry just wrapping up cooking breakfast.
"Come in and sit down, Breakfast will be ready in a minute."
"Oh, it sure smells good," Kara said.
Harry served Kara and she dug it. Ravenous after the other day. Oh, Kara savored every bit of this delicious meal which Harry had given her. The sausage had been cooked just right, the eggs were amazing, the bacon was good, and he had made freshly squeezed orange juice, oh Kara tingled with delight.
"Glad to see you approve," Harry said.
"I may have to take you home with me."
She said that quite teasingly, but Harry smiled. Kara licked the grease off of her fingers and caught Harry's eye. She did not intend to tease him, but it just was one of those things that happened. She noticed a newspaper on the table, a newspaper. Harry's picture had been on it.
"I told the Ministry nothing else came through that portal. Not sure if I believe me. The idiot wizards who brought you here are prattling on about a flying girl. And the Ministry has gotten it in their head that you're some kind of dangerous magical creature."
"But, I'm an alien from Krypton," Kara protested.
"That's not really going to help your case."
Kara shook her head and took another drink of orange juice.
"The Ministry has taken certain steps to prevent mistakes happening again. We had to deal with an extremely powerful dark wizard for years, a self-proclaimed Dark Lord. And they are very anxious and monitoring their own people, and trying to control every aspect of their life. They claim they're doing this for the security of the magical world and to prevent another uprising like Lord Voldemort ever again."
Harry sighed. The road to hell was often paved with good intentions.
"In their attempts to fix everything, they've just made it worse?" Kara suggested
"Yes," Harry agreed. "But, let's not talk about them."
Kara figured Harry must have been gone for a while, and then came back to cook them breakfast. She turned her attention to the newspaper, and read an article at Harry's resignation from the Ministry and more assurance that Harry's viewpoint was an extreme one and the Ministry was doing everything possible to watch over the people who served them.
Something about that statement caused Kara to shiver.
"Seems like they're a bit sensational," Kara said. "Your press, that is."
"Most journalists are," Harry said.
Kara was about to argue, on behalf of reporters everywhere, but she felt that Harry had a point, as cruel as it might be. There were a growing number of journalists who cared little about discovering the truth. Kara did her best to be honest, but unfortunately, people like her were becoming less honest.
"I may be able to send you back."
"Oh, you want to get rid of me already? Am I a bad house guest?"
Harry smiled.
"On the contrary, you're quite lovely," Harry responded. "But, the Ministry has their eyes out for anything extraordinary. And you are very extraordinary, from what you tell me. So, you need to tell me everything that happened, to the moment which you arrived. Anything strange that might have triggered the spell on this end."
Kara recalled back and decided to start at the beginning. She did want to get home.
In the days and weeks that followed, Kara and Harry put their heads together. The two made many calculations, ran a few tests. Alia assisted them in creating the calculations faster.
"Well, I've got some good news and some bad news."
Kara raised her eyebrow and motioned for Harry to go forward.
"Well, lead with the good news first."
"If conditions are ideal, I can send you back home."
"Great...but there's bad news?"
"There is. It has to be done on Halloween."
Kara's face fell.
"That's a year from now."
"I know," Harry said. "Although we still don't know how long you've been gone. Time could pass slower on this Earth, or it could be faster, or it could pass the same."
Kara looked at what amounted to notepads worth of useless calculations. They had been fixated on that for several weeks, and there had been nothing.
"Maybe, there's some kind of tech solution to get around the magical one?" Kara asked.
"Maybe," Harry agreed. "But, we're going to have to run even more tests and make sure things are precise. And I'm not as adept with tech as I am with magic. And the last thing we want is you stranded on some alternate hostile earth."
Kara grimly nodded in response. Yes, that could be a problem. They spent a little more time brainstorming until Kara came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea. She scooted a little bit closer to Harry. The two had grown a bit closer when working together and had the tendency to understand what the other was thinking about.
"So, what do you do for fun?"
"What?"
"You do know what fun is right?" Kara asked.
"Well, I do like to fly," Harry said. "Not fly like you do, but fly on a broomstick. Although, I don't live in a place where a nice leisurely flight is feasible. And I would not like to attract any Ministry attention."
"Well, we should at least get out of this house," Kara said. "Maybe, we can go to the park, or go get dinner, or watch a movie, or something?"
"There is this new Cinema that's opened up down the block," Alia chimed in.
"Great, that's perfect," Kara said.
"I don't know…"
"C'mon," Kara said. "You've been hard at work for this. Even the great Harry Potter can take a day off any time. And if you're worried about me, they're on a lookout for a flying woman. And back home, I have to keep a secret identity every day, and thus keep my feet firmly on the ground."
Harry thought about it.
"It won't hurt you to have a little fun," Kara said.
"I agree," Alia chimed in.
"Well, it looks like I'm outvoted," Harry said.
To be honest, he had been working hard, so it would be good to take a little break, Harry supposed.
Harry and Kara spent some time together on the town and Harry did relax. The two made their way outside to a part after dinner and enjoyed the stars. It had been a while since Harry had a chance to appreciate the beauty of everything around him. And Kara clasped onto his hand.
"You were right."
"I know," Kara said. "Sure, the movie was a bit corny and the special effects were kind of cheesy, but it was fun. And we had a good laugh, didn't we?"
"Yes," Harry agreed. "We did."
Kara turned to Harry and caught him smiling. She felt pleased at the reaction she had received from him.
"You know, you're so serious and so stoic, I didn't think you could even smile. You should do it more often."
Tonight, had been a night in which Kara forgot about her worries as well. She missed her family and friends, but with Harry, she felt welcome here. And things could have been far worse. If the horror stories Harry told her about the Ministry were all good.
"Look, cotton candy!" Kara yelled. "Do you like Cotton Candy?"
'I've never tried it," Harry said.
"Well, aren't you missing out?"
The two took cotton candy. Harry relaxed a bit more and enjoyed the taste. The two stood outside when suddenly a familiar voice caught Harry's attention.
"Harry?"
Oh, hell, Harry turned around and came face to face with Hermione Granger. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.
"Hello, Hermione, long time no see," Harry said to her coolly. "Kara, this is Hermione Granger. She went to school with me."
"Oh, did you know each other?" Kara asked.
"Yes, we were friends," Hermione responded. "We decided to go our separate ways."
"It was for the best," Harry added.
Hermione was looking at Kara for a good long moment, and Harry did not like the fact that Hermione was looking at Kara like that.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Harry asked her.
"Well, it's just a public park," Hermione said. "I have a right to be here, you know."
So she did, although the fact Hermione just happened to come across them had been too much of a coincidence for Harry's liking.
"Sorry, I didn't know you were seeing someone," Hermione said. "I hope you didn't tell her anything you shouldn't have?"
"I'm always honest with my friends, Hermione," Harry said. "It's an annoying virtue I happen to have."
Hermione cringed and Kara could see some tension. She was about ready to lead Harry away, because she did not like how nosy Harry's former friend was being, at all.
"Where is she from?"
That was kind of rude, and Kara was about ready to say something, but Harry jumped in. She heard street lamps rattle before Harry took a deep calming breath.
"Why do you care?" Harry asked. "I have the right to be with anyone I want without clearing it with you or the Ministry."
"Oh, yeah, you do, it's just, we're concerned," Hermione told Harry in a soft voice. "You haven't shown up at the Ministry in a month."
"I gave my two weeks."
Yes, of course, Harry threatened to leave before, but he did not say it seriously.
"Hermione, you better leave. Now."
"Right, right, of course," Hermione said. "Sorry. Enjoy your date. I'm very happy for you."
Hermione scuttled off, like a mouse scurrying away. Kara frowned.
"What's her problem?"
"I don't want to go there," Harry said. "I don't want to talk about the past, when I'm looking forward to the future."
Kara paused and gazed into Harry's eyes.
"So, do I play a role in your future?"
It just slipped out. Harry smiled and leaned forward. He cupped Kara's cheek and pulled her in for a light kiss.
Harry realized what happened and then pulled away. Kara looked at Harry, and wrapped her arms around him. She pulled him into a more passionate kiss, which Harry returned eagerly.
Needless to say, that sealed the deal.
The changes in Harry were very noticeable. He became less and less guarded with Kara and had not focused completely on their word in making sure Kara returned home safely.
Yet, Harry did not forget that promise. He intended to fulfill it.
"And that's not ideal either."
The two finished the simulation. With Alia and Kara's help, they rigged up something to help simulate possible outcomes, without risking any problems. Kara watched the results play out in the three dimensional virtual reality, for they popped back into the real world.
"Not going to risk the chance of both of our Earths being sucked into a black hole," Harry said.
"We should avoid that," Kara agreed. "Today's a special day though. Or have you forgotten your own Birthday?"
Kara wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him once more. Her kisses were like magic, and Harry pulled his lovely girlfriend into a nice embrace. His hands moved down her body and the two enjoyed feeling each other up before they slowly pulled apart.
"Halloween is our best bet," Harry said. "But, I have been working on something for you. And today's the perfect day to give it to you."
"And here I'm supposed to be the one giving you a present on your birthday," Kara said.
"Oh, trust me, this will be beneficial to me as well."
Harry handed Kara a nice bracelet which she popped around her wrist very carefully. And then Harry opened up a box. Kara recoiled automatically, Kryptonite, and then she realized, slowly, it did not have any effect.
"You did it?" Kara asked. "You found a way to block the radiation. You're amazing?"
Kara threw herself into Harry's arms and gave him a warm hug and kiss in celebration. The two pulled away from each other.
"All of the things you can do, it's amazing."
"I know. And yet the one thing I'm famous for, it's because my mother died."
Harry would not mind the fame, if it was something that he earned. And with all of the extraordinary bits of magic he could do, he thought he had earned it many times over. Unfortunately, these days, any magic which was not by the book was regarded quite suspiciously.
"It can turn into a shield on your uniform when you're out as Supergirl, or turn into a bracelet, when you're out of costume."
"Amazing," Kara said. "You are great. And I haven't forgotten about you either. But, it appears that I've left your birthday present in our bedroom."
Harry grinned when Kara took him by the hand.
"Let's see if I can remember where I put it."
Midnight rapidly approached on Halloween. This was the day which Harry and Kara prepared for. They set up everything and they were certain that this would work.
Finally, just moments before they had to leave, Kara decided to be the one to ask.
"Come with me?"
"Of course," Harry said. "I hoped you would be the one to ask that."
Selfishly, Harry had almost hoped there would be no way to open that portal. However, he could not do that to Kara. Instead, Harry found an out. Every time he was out in this world, he almost thought that there were Ministry wizards watching him. Harry and Kara gave them the slip every time, but the increased security and scrutiny worked Harry a whole lot.
There was nothing left for Harry. Harry deluded himself before thinking he could build a life here. But, after Australia, which was the flashpoint which caused many of the new Ministry edicts to pop into place, Harry knew this was not possible.
With Kara, Harry had his chance and he would take it.
"We're taking a big step," Harry said. "And I've told you everything. Except for the one big thing, and the reason why Hermione and I had our fallout."
"Harry, it can wait until we leave, can't it?"
"No, it has to be now," Harry said. "It's…"
Before Harry could say anything, Alia popped on.
"Not to interrupt you, but Hermione Granger has been frantically attempting to reach you."
There's no possible way Hermione could know that Harry was trying to leave tonight, could she?
"That interfering witch," Kara murmured.
Kara appeared to be thinking the same thing Harry was. Harry sighed and pinched his nose.
Alia finally spoke once again.
"Should I tell her to piss off?"
A shadow of a smile crossed over Harry's face.
"What's her reason?"
"She claims it's life and death."
It sure better be. Harry sighed.
'Put her on."
"Harry! Harry! Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Hermione, I can. It's your time. But it better be good."
Anyone could pick up on the fact Harry was pretty much done with Hermione trying to interject herself back in his life. And Hermione did as well.
"This is really bad. We did something bad. The Ministry did something, we shouldn't have. They were studying the rubble, to try and find evidence to trace the flying girl."
"Oh, Hermione, honestly, what did those idiots expect?" Harry asked.
"There was something encased in the stones. The Lestranges summoned something, but it had been trapped. Until the Unspeakables freed it."
Harry resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Rodolphus did succeed! And it's going to devour the entire Ministry."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. A blood curdling shriek echoed throughout the Ministry and Hermione's image faded into nothing.
To be perfectly honest, Harry was not concerned about the idiots of the Ministry getting destroyed by whatever this thing was. They made their own bed. What he was concerned about was this thing, whatever it was, getting loose in the middle of London.
Harry knew tonight he was leaving, he should leave it alone, but there was still a small part of his saving people thing which had not been erased by being cynical.
Kara already suited up.
"So, are we doing this?" Kara asked.
"Babe, you're taking a real risk," Harry said. "The Ministry will shoot any magical creature on sight, even if it really is an alien. And you aren't invulnerable to magic."
"I know. But, I can't let you go alone. I won't. If we're going to be a team, we're going to do this together. Starting now."
Harry smiled and took Kara's hand. Yes, the two of them together could be the only thing to stop this creature, whatever it was.
Harry and Kara entered the hallways of the Ministry. They had been completely ravaged. Several unfortunate witches and wizards had been done and looked completely pale. Fang marks appeared on their neck. They were pale, weak, and shivering, but alive, if one could call it that.
"So vampire?" Kara whispered.
"We can only be so lucky."
"Oh, it was horrible, it feasted on everything."
Harry caught sight of one of the wizards who tried to levitate a huge piece of rubble off of his crushed legs. Only, he could not move it, not an inch.
Down the hallway, more screams, and Harry sensed something rather bad. Kara joined him and they caught sight of a formless, shadowy creature with fangs. Who grabbed onto one of the wizards and sang it's fangs into the man's neck. Magical light drained from the wizard, as the creature absorbed energy.
The creature moved down the hallway to the next meal. Harry noticed several busted wands. The creature devoured the magical cores from the wands and seemed to get bigger in the process.
"It's rare that we discover a new kind of magical creature," Harry breathed.
"We need to overload it somehow," Kara said.
"Yes," Harry said. "We have to seal it inside of the Ministry first."
Harry opened up a panel on the wall and pressed his hand onto the rune stones. He trapped the creature inside of the Ministry.
Unfortunately, everyone had been trapped inside of the Ministry with this demonic magical carnivore. But, the consequences would be worse if Harry led it out of London.
"It's heading to the Department of Mysteries," one of the wizards on the ground breathed. "Please, don't get too close. Magic, gone, can't live like this!"
"We can't let it get down to the Department of Mysteries. It will be a feeding frenzy if it gets down."
"How?" Kara asked.
"Lots of magical artifacts. Extremely powerful and potent magical artifacts. They're studying them, but it will be a feeding frenzy. And it's sealed off from the main Ministry."
They found another group down on the ground. Hermione was among them.
"Harry, where's Harry?"
Kara zipped around to extract them from the rubble with which they had been buried throughout this hallway, why Harry cleared the path. Hermione had been one of the lucky ones, not to be crushed too badly.
"Harry, you were right. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Like Ginny, like Neville, like Luna, sorry, so sorry."
The gash on Hermione's head looked nasty. Harry took pity on her and healed it before pulling her to sleep. The Magivore only partially drained her, before heading to more fertile feeding grounds.
"Get her to safety. And come back."
Before Kara could react, several bands of magical energy snapped around Harry's body. The endless black hole, more disgusting and more disturbing than seeing a Dementor face to face, just inches away from being kissed, pulled Harry over.
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"
The magic had been sucked from Harry. Kara used her heat vision to blast the creature hard and then send it flying down the hallway with a gust of wind. The creature cracked hard against the wall and bounced back.
"Harry?" Kara asked.
Harry dropped to one knee and then sprang back up.
"I'm fine," Harry said. "My magic poisoned it."
"What? How?"
"I have Basilisk venom and Phoenix Tears in my bloodstream."
While it had been weakened, the creature still made its way down to the Department of Mysteries and would likely recover when feeding on pure magic. They had to cut it off, now, before it was too late.
The Magivore slipped into the Veil Room. The barrier between life and death being devoured would cause a catastrophe which could make a problem.
Harry cut himself and used his blood to supercharge the room with magical energy. Despite learning earlier that Harry's magic was poisonous to it, the creature had a very simple motive and had been drawn by the very powerful source of magic.
The very same rune stones which brought the creature here, had been super charged. Harry led it into a trap. The creature dove right into the trap headfirst.
Harry used his blood to seal the creature deep inside. The barrier weakened the creature and pushed it all the way back into the rune stones.
"Kara!"
Kara flew over towards Harry. Harry used a steady hand to open up a portal.
"I've got it! A portal to your dimension. If you go through, you should be sent back no more than a day or two after you left in the first place."
Kara had gotten good at reading Harry's expressions. She picked up the fact that there was more to this than met the eye.
"What's the bad news?"
"Well, someone has to stay on the other side to close the gateway and make sure the Magivore doesn't escape. And once it's sealed, I have to break the stones."
"NO!" Kara yelled. "I won't leave without you."
"There are people on the other side that are worried about you," Harry said. "A day, I swear that's how long you'll be gone. And I'll find another way."
"You promise?" Kara asked.
"I swear."
Harry and Kara exchanged an extremely passionate, although all too brief goodbye kiss.
"I'll find a way."
"Not if I do first."
Kara passed through the gateway, with a forlorn look at Harry when leaving.
Once again, Harry watched his best chance for escape for this world pass through the portal. He had to keep the creature at bay before it could break out again.
He sealed the gateway from behind and forced all of the magic possible into stones. Thus destroying the most convenient means of escaping this world and joining the woman he loved.
The final rune stone crumbled into dust in his hand. Along with all hope Harry would be able to follow Kara, at least for now.
Harry saved them again. He hoped those ungrateful bastards would appreciate the sacrifice he had to make to correct their mistakes. Again.
Without another word, Harry departed to return back home.
Harry would find a way. He always did. He was Harry Fucking Potter.
Chapter Two:
Halloween Night approached, nearly twenty-five years after the first defeat of Lord Voldemort. Harry Potter still remained in the magical world, but he hoped not for too much longer. Every painstaking step of his plan would finally pay off. Right now, he slipped into a bar, incognito, casually listening to the chat among the patrons.
Over the chat of the patrons, Harry heard the Wizarding Wireless kick to life and the dry-sounding man begin speaking in monotone.
"The International Confederation of Wizards wishes upon this 25th anniversary of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to award Harry Potter the Order of Merlin, First Class. None have seen Harry Potter for years and no one has any lead on his current whereabouts."
This stirred up plenty of chat from the bar patrons.
"So, do you think Potter will crawl out to accept his award?"
"I don't know. He's been avoiding people. And he's been critical about the Ministry."
"Maybe they got to him. Maybe he's locked up somewhere."
"Maybe?"
"You never know. Got to watch whatcha you say. They'll end up making you the next He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"If he's locked up, why would they be rewarding him with an Order of Merlin?"
"Well, if you wanted people to think you didn't have someone locked up, why not the charade?"
Harry leaned back and allowed the idle speculation about him to run rampant. None of them knew that he sat merely three feet away from these conversations, in disguise. He mentally went over all of the changes within the Ministry of Magic, since the Magivore attack.
None of them which benefitted Harry and his plans to escape to Kara's Earth. Extremely powerful spells alerted the Ministry when someone made an attempt to leave or summon something in. On the bright side, violent magical crime had been down or any crime really, mostly because everyone had been too afraid to throw a gum-wrapper on the ground without facing a Ministry inquiry.
The British Magical community maintained their shaky hold as the center of the overall magical world, but it showed signs of strain. There were some other countries in the ICW who sensed blood in the water, from what Harry heard. Still, Harry decided that it was time for him to depart, although they did not make it easy.
Fortunately, Harry had been gathering everything he could need, to make a break for it.
"Harry Potter."
This caused Harry's danger sense to elevate. Some woman addressed him by name. However, perhaps he should not be paranoid.
Of course being paranoid did not mean that someone was not going on. As a wise man once said "Constant Vigilance" and all that.
"None of them are aware of you. Time is frozen in the bar."
Harry looked around and noticed everyone in the bar frozen in time. He turned to an older dark-haired woman who sat dressed in a form fitting bodysuit.
"Their isolation will not protect them from the upcoming Crisis. It will leave them even more vulnerable to this attack. This world is living it's last days. But, you will thrive and survive, because of the role you have to play."
This extremely cryptic caused Harry to raise an eyebrow.
"Right? I don't suppose you have any more information about this Crisis thing, right?"
The woman just smiled, her mysterious smile.
"I'm merely just a Harbinger. Be alert. And I'll see you soon."
And then she was gone as if she was not there in the first place. And left Harry with so many questions that needed answers. If that was not the story of his life, he did not know what it was.
People being cryptic got old after a while.
A few things changed since the Magivore attack and Harry's parting with Kara. One of them had been Alia receiving a few enhancements. Harry upgraded her so she could have a physical body and more completely assist Harry with setting up the gateway to cross Earths. She stood before Harry, casually biting down on her lip as she watched her master work. Her alluring green eyes, silky black hair, and beautiful face were very noticeable. Alia dressed in a blouse which fit her nice chest, and a skirt which wrapped around her wide hips. Black stockings covered Alia's legs, and she topped off the outfit with a pair of high heel shoes.
"So, she gave you a warning of doom and gloom?"
"Yes," Harry responded. "And just when I'm making an honest attempt to leave this world. Things have been rather quiet."
"Yes, almost too quiet."
"Something's in the air. I thought it was Halloween. I get the same feeling of uneasiness every time it approaches."
Alia sensed her master's discomfort and ran her fingers down the back of his neck. She had been there for him. And offered him assurance that he would find Kara again and then grow his collective.
Slowly, Alia withdrew and finished the neck massage.
"Are you ready to commence with the trial run?"
Harry's face became set and serious.
"Yes," Harry remarked. "I am."
There was a chance that even with all of the shielding he put around the house, the Ministry might get wind of what he was trying. Despite it, Harry felt it was worth the risk.
"Even if they do find out, we'll be gone by the time they all descend upon the house. Although, should it work, I'll set the gateway to self-destruct. I wouldn't want some idiot getting their hands on it and causing a mess that I won't be around to clean up."
Or someone who intended malice. Alia sat in one chair in front of the apparatus, and Harry sat in front of the other. The countries of the ICW strengthened anti-teleportation fields around the world. Only those who had been cleared to Apparate or use a Portkey could travel, and they obviously could not cross dimensions. The magic had been said to be impossible to navigate.
Harry loved a challenge. And loved circumventing expectations.
"Hey, Kara. I'm not sure if any of these messages are reaching you, or how long it's been. But, I'm ready. They say it's impossible for me to break the barrier between our Earths. But I'll never let the impossible stop me. And I'll be there. I just hope it hasn't been as long for you, as it has for me."
Four years worth of torture. Yet, Harry refused to give up hope. Harry prepared to lock on to Kara's Earth.
"We've breached the barrier," Alia said. "The runes are powered up. We're going to open it."
Yes, Harry felt something. A crackle of energy which erupted through the air. And for a brief second, Harry could feel hope.
Right before something disturbed the magic. Harry most certainly locked onto something, but it was not another Earth. A strange fluctuation of energy erupted from the portal and blew past Harry at the speed of light.
All of the runes burned out. And a discharge of magical energy sent an effect even far more potent than Hogwarts throughout the building and caused them to enter pitch blackness.
The force of the blast also knocked Harry on his ass and nearly busted his tailbone.
A snap of the fingers flickered a bunch of candles on. Alia offered Harry a hand and Harry took it, rising up to his feet and wincing due to the injury. He looked around, in an attempt to shake off the cobwebs.
"All of London is blacked out."
Well, that was just what Harry needed right now. That was not going to go unnoticed. He was almost there. Harry closed his eyes, and tried to backtrack and retrace his steps, to try and figure out what went wrong.
"I could feel another Earth. But something blocked me. Or rather, something ran straight into my portal."
Suddenly, a bolt of purple lightning zipped across the room. The super fast lightning caused a coat rack to rattle, followed by a table, and then one of Harry's chairs slid across the wood floor. The lightning pinged from object to object, a loud crack resounding throughout the room.
A figure flickered briefly into the light and then disappeared into the shadows.
Two more times, this figure did that, before Harry locked onto the figure. Harry sent a pulse of magic to try and shock the figure to turn solid.
Another bolt of lightning erupted and kicked all of the power in Harry's house back on and he assumed all of the power back in London. The molecules configured and stabilized. A dark-skinned woman with a slightly damaged blue and white costume, and a mask hanging from her face appeared. She struggled to draw breath, like someone who had been forced underneath water for a long time.
Another blast of light erupted, and some kind of wraith type thing rushed through the woman. Harry's reflexes kicked it, and blasted the wraith into oblivion. The moment Harry stepped back, he did his best to figure out the situation.
The mysterious woman frantically looked around, and started to speak in fractured sentences, in no language which Harry understood. She picked up a pad of paper from Harry's desk and started to scrawl some kind of strange symbols which make little sense to Harry.
Alia put her hand on the woman's face and she slumped forward. With Harry's help, they dropped her onto the couch.
"Best to keep her sedated until we figure this out."
Alia took a look at the symbols and looked surprised after studying it.
"It's some kind of formula to create super speed."
Well, that just was strange. Harry and Alia moved over to their guest and proceeded to move to deal with the tangled mess which was their new house guest's brain. Fractured images of this mysterious woman and a man dressed in red reconstructed, fighting another man, dressed in red and yellow. Right before the woman appeared to fade from existence. Harry could feel the horror of this woman being erased from her universe.
Suddenly, the woman sat up and woke up.
"My name is Nora West-Allen, I'm the daughter of the Flash, and the last thing I remember, I was wiped out of existence due to a time paradox. I shouldn't exist anymore, this is impossible, but how?"
She spoke without almost taking a breath and at the same time was out of breath. Quite the paradox.
"Hello, Nora, my name is Harry Potter. And impossible is my thing."
"And congratulations on breaking reality," Alia told Harry. "Again."
A change of clothes and a shower later, Harry put out a good meal for his guest to devour.. Which Nora graciously shoveled down.
"I went back in time to save my father from dying in the Crisis. Only I messed things up and I might have bumped the Crisis up several years."
Well, that was concerning.
"Yes, I met someone the other day at a bar," Harry said. "And she mentioned that the Crisis was coming."
"Oh, we have to...we have to warn everyone," Nora said. "Only, this is a different Earth, Earth-7, and time here flows differently than it does on Earth-1 or Earth-38 or any of the other Earths I've been to."
One particular piece of information piqued Harry's interest.
"You've been to Earth-38? Can you get there?"
"Yeah, if I had a way to run fast enough to break the barrier," Nora remarked. "I suppose if we get there, we might be able to get in front of the Crisis, and stop it from coming. Otherwise, we'll be totally crashed."
"Crashed?"
"Screwed, totally broke the mode," Nora said. "Which is totally un-schway."
Nora came from an Alternate Earth and from a future, which technically did not exist. Suddenly, Alia came from the other room.
"Hermione Granger is waiting outside. She wants to talk to you."
Harry figured he might have to spin this one.
"Is that your girlfriend?" Nora asked.
Harry almost choked on his tea at that thought.
"Not even close."
No matter how much fanfiction Rita Skeeter wrote about Harry and Hermione in the Daily Prophet, or how much the delusional Harmony cult wanted it to be true, it would never be true. Yes, apparently, there was a group of younger witches and a few wizards, who seemed fixated on Harry's love life, and thought that he and Hermione would be a perfect match. To the point where they would send hate messages to any witches who they thought would be an obstacle to their precious delusion. And one thing Hermione would agree with Harry on is how a relationship between them would be an utter dumpster fire of a disaster. And how these people were out of line.
"But, I suppose I better talk to her. Tell her I'll be out in a few minutes."
A few minutes later, Harry stepped outside and faced Hermione. Who did not look too well, paler than normal, thinner than normal, and she had been leaning on a walking stick. Harry wondered what happened.
"Is this about the Outage?"
"No," Hermione said. "I wanted to say goodbye and say that I'm sorry. I never should have lied to you about Australia. Ginny, Neville, and Luna are all dead because of it, because of the fact we thought we could handle the situation. Also, I'm dying."
"That's news," Harry said. "How? And why?"
"Remember, Dolohov's curse in the Department of Mysteries?"
"Yes, but you were taking potions for that, and you got better," Harry said. "At least that's what you told me."
Hermione offered a slightest flinch at the accusatory tone.
"Yes, but the Magivore attack caused my body to reject any more treatments. And well, I only have a few weeks left. But, maybe it's for the best. Maybe I should have been killed there. Maybe, it was the best I could have died. You must hate me."
"I resent many of the decisions you made and your ability not to see how wrong you were," Harry said. "No more and no less. But you know things would have never been the same again."
"Trust, it takes forever to gain and takes an instant to shatter," Hermione mused.
"Did you tell your mother about this?"
Hermione shifted, a bit guilty. When she modified her parent's memories, she neglected to realize that the only reason they stayed married for so long, it was because of her. And thus, her father walked out on her mother, and once Hermione restored her mother's memories, she was furious at what Hermione did.
And they never did find David Granger.
"Charlotte would want to know whether or not her daughter is dying. She was disappointed in what you did, but that's the past. It's not too late to make amends."
Hermione said nothing. She turned around, to gaze at the sunrise. Where the skies turned red. Eerily, almost like something was going on. And she turned slowly to Harry.
"Harry, it's happening."
In a blink of an eye, a figure rushed out of the house, too quick. Nora stopped short and stared at the sky. And then stared at the woman who looked at her bemusingly.
"Ohhh, that was a bad idea."
"Harry? What is happening?"
"INSIDE! NOW!"
Hermione jumped up and could not hasten fast enough to follow her former friend inside. She had not seen him this loud since their fifth year.
Hermione slowly drank a cup of tea, as Harry explained to her what was going on. She needed something stronger than tea to be honest to cope with this insanity. And the mess which was about to follow.
"You do realize it's my duty to report every law you've broken to the Ministry."
Harry curtly nodded and gave Hermione the distinct impression that if he thought she was going to snitch on him, then she might not be leaving this house. Which made Hermione shiver, but also wondered if that would be so bad. It would beat suffering over the next few weeks, as her mind and then her body began to shut down due as the after effects of the curse finally catching up to her.
"But, there's literally no point. How long?"
"Looks to be about a day, maybe more," Nora offered.
"Thirty six hours to be precise," Alia said.
"Well, we have the hard data," Hermione said. "The Ministry can't ignore the proof that this is happening. The skies are turning red right before our eyes. I have to give this information to the Ministry and the ICW. I'll keep your name out of this, I promise. I know my word isn't worth two knuts to you, but...this time, I promise. We can stop this Crisis from coming."
"I'm not sure you can," Nora said.
Oh, Nora realized just how badly she messed up. She brought the Crisis up. Her father disappearing was the least of Nora's worries right now.
"This isn't going to work."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose.
"The data you got, is from a speedster, I inadvertently willed back into existence after she got erased due to a time paradox. Because, I was trying to reunite with my alien girlfriend. Who the Ministry thought was a dangerous dark creature five years ago."
Hermione paused and it clicked together. Perhaps she had ignored it, because it had been too obvious.
"Kara," Hermione said. "It's Kara. You...you sent her away, but why didn't you leave?"
"Because, I was trying to make sure a Magical parasite who the Ministry let out did not cause untold havoc, and kill innocent people. Across multiple worlds."
"You found happiness and you denied yourself, just to save this world," Hermione said. "Wow, that's…"
"Insane, I know," Harry said.
"And despite everything, I'm honestly glad that you found someone, although I can't begin to understand how you feel."
Harry bit back his retort. Now was not the time to be flippant.
"Wait, by, Kara, you mean Supergirl, right?"
Harry turned to Nora and nodded. Nora realized something and felt stupid for not realizing it before.
"So, wait, you're that Harry? Oh, yes, she's told us about you, you're as amazing as she said you were. This is so Schway!"
If it was not for the situation, Harry would have smiled out how much Nora was gushing.
"Yes, yes, schway," Harry said."But, not the time."
"Right not the time. Crisis now, fangasm later. But, seriously, Emerald Flight forever!"
"What?" Hermione asked. "Emerald Flight?"
"Well, you know the ship name for Supergirl and...never mind, spoilers, big spoilers, do not mess this up any more than already, Nora."
Nora shifted in the chair and Hermione was baffled because of how this young woman was acting.
"Stay focused," Harry said.
Hermione put down her cup of tea. Harry turned to her, and looked her dead in the eyes.
"We're doing this my way. Since my way is the only way that saves lives. Spin whatever story you want to the Ministry, try and get them to listen to reason."
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked.
"Well. There's only one place on Earth which might have magic potent enough to stall this threat."
If he could stall it, then Harry could warn others.
Harry and Nora arrived at Hogwarts, with Alia taking on the form of a magical gauntlet with Harry. At the gates, a very familiar face showed up to greet Harry.
"Well, as I live and breathe, Mr. Potter. You would have to be the last person I thought I would have shown up."
Professor McGonagall appeared, having gotten a message to expect company.
"This is, Nora. She's a friend of mine. Nora, this is Minerva McGonagall. She was my Transfiguration Teacher and head of house, and now she's the Headmistress of Hogwarts.
"A pleasure to meet you," Minerva said to her.
"Likewise," Nora said. "Perhaps we should go inside?"
Nora, Harry, and McGonagall crossed the Great Hall.
"I heard all kinds of rumors about you, Mr. Potter, about what you've been up to as of late. But, if teaching at Hogwarts for this long has taught me anything, the truth is often more salacious than any rumors."
"That's putting it mildly," Harry said. "So, how have you been?"
"Ready to retire this year," Minerva said. "Oh, yes, I'm looking forward to a nice quiet life. I adore the students, but I'm ready for a change."
Also dealing with the Ministry had somehow been more tedious than it had been during Fudge's time. Although, that was Dumbledore who did most of the dealing, and that man had the patience of a saint.
"What brings you to Hogwarts?"
Harry thought enough small talk.
"The entire world's going to get wiped out. I need access to Hogwarts protections to stop it from happening."
Minerva just sighed.
"Well, I've learned a long time ago not to disbelieve anything you say," Minerva remarked. "And these unsettling red skies are putting the students on edge. This is the most hysteria that I've seen at this school since your time here."
"And to think, those days were only about eight years ago," Harry remarked. "But…."
Minerva handed Harry a rune stone and he nodded his gratitude. Harry and Nora made their way inside deep into the school. Harry came across magic, weaved by the founders to create a school which was always evolving, always changing, to meet modern standards and needs. They were brilliant witches and wizards of their time.
"Will this work?" Nora asked.
"It has to. All I have to do is reconfigure one thousand year old magical protections without toppling the entire castle."
"No pressure?"
Nora's eyes widened with awe as Harry accessed the magical protections and pulled them out, strand by strand and painstaking weaving them.
"Oh, that's sooo amazing! No wonder Supergirl fell in love with you."
Harry sighed, but remained patient. He needed to make sure Nora stayed focused on the task at hand.
"Yes, but I need your help. Your speed, to help me weave the lines exactly how I tell you."
Nora went back on track and nodded. She just needed Harry to tell her what to do, and she would do it.
Hermione escorted a small, specialized, and trusted team of wizards down into the catacombs of the Ministry, right outside of the Floo Network. With Alia's help, Hermione and her squad; kept in contact with Harry and Nora.
"Once you make the connection, the Ministry's protections and Hogwarts will become one and with every fireplace on the Network, it will create a shield."
"Okay," Hermione muttered. "And Harry, once Earth is saved, I'm dropping the Ministry's network for a period of twenty minutes. Use that time to open a portal to Kara's Earth. Get allies and deal with the threat, don't worry about this place. I think it's cursed."
Hermione paused for a long time as if trying to figure out what to say.
"Consider it my apology for the mistakes I've made. For all that I've done wrong. I'm sorry and I was wrong."
"Thank you, Hermione, I appreciate that."
Hermione hoped so, even though she knew that there was nothing she could do to make up for all of the things she did. All of the magical laws she thought would protect the people. While they would prevent another Voldemort from rising, it was at the cost of freedoms as well.
"We're ready," Harry said. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, we're ready," Hermione said.
"On three. One, two, three."
Both at Hogwarts and the Ministry, pulses of magical energy erupted through the air. Hermione had to burn through every favor she had, every bit of political capital she had to pull this off. But, if it worked, then nothing else mattered. And it was not like she would be alive long enough to be punished for going over the heads of certain high ranking Ministry officials.
They came up from the basement. The red sky crackled and began to turn blue right before their very eyes. Hope had hit them all.
Cheers from the Ministry. Hermione smiled, and a tear rolled down her cheek. The danger had passed thanks to Harry's plans. Harry Potter did the impossible again.
"We did it!"
Nora, in the heat of the moment, threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tight. She looked rather embarrassed at herself and pulled away.
"Sorry, personal boundaries."
Harry just smiled and Nora pulled away from him.
"Under the circumstances, it's understandable," Harry told her.
"I just don't want to piss off the woman who can punt me into the sun."
"Oh, I don't know," Alia chimed in. "I'm sure if you ask Kara nicely, she'll be happy to share the wealth."
Nora flushed at the thought and Harry just smiled. Everyone in Hogwarts had been cheering and pointing outside to the blue skies. Harry and Nora left and ran into Minerva who smiled.
"I don't know how you do these things, Mr. Potter."
"At this point, I feel like it's better off not to ask," Harry told his old professor. "It's been an honor, but we really must run now."
Hermione would give him twenty minutes to get out of here, and Harry was taking it. Nora could get him to Earth-38, and it would be easy to use her speed energy to break through the barrier.
In front of them, a mystery man appeared. Which caused Nora to jump up and stare like she saw a ghost.
"Thawne!"
Nora's eyes burned red with rage for a brief second and her hand started to vibrate like mad. Harry had a feeling that there was some kind of story there.
"No, not Thawne," the mystery man said. "Merely, a Pariah, condemned to bear witness to tragic ends caused by the monster I unleashed."
Harry had a bad feeling about this. And his bad feeling only amplified when he heard Hermione's screams over the connection which Alia created for them to speak.
"Hermione?" Harry asked. "Hermione, speak to me. What is it?"
"Shadow creatures are attacking the Ministry!" Hermione shouted.
Alia quickly teleported Nora and Harry out of Hogwarts and all the way to the Ministry.
Nora and Harry flashed down in front of the shadow creatures. The creatures had Hermione pinned down. Harry sent a bolt of intense magical energy at the creatures. He created a sword made of magic and hacked away from them.
Nora recognized the creatures from the clippings talking about the Flash's disappearance during Crisis. She went after them with a fury and pinged through them with whips of lightning emitting from her hands.
Those who happened to be in the Ministry was not so lucky. Slumping down onto the ground, Hermione's eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her entire body had been ravaged by the attack. She breathed no more.
Hermione Granger was dead. Murdered by these monsters. And Harry barely had enough time to comprehend the death of his former friend before needing to slice the creatures in half.
The shielding they created had been broken by the sheer numbers of the Shadow creatures.
"And now the skies are red again!"
Harry had a sense that the skies were more than red. Nora did as well. She vibrated her hand through the ground and caused it to crumble underneath her. Harry and Nora rushed down the beneath and landed right in the midst of the Department of Mysteries.
Suddenly, Harry tingled. He sensed doom, far stronger than anything ever.
"Alia, what are we dealing with?"
"Anti-Matter," Alia grimly confirmed. "And lots of it."
"He's here!" Nora yelled. "The one that...it's happening!"
"Run, Nora, Run!"
Harry took Nora's hand and the two of them bolted as fast as Nora's speed could take them. The two became little more than a lightning bolt of intertwined green and purple energy which zipped down the Department of Mysteries, trying to outrun the Anti-Matter wave which was consuming them all.
"You have a small margin of error to make a jump. But, you know there's only one way out."
"Keep running, Nora. Faster! You have to break through the veil!"
The voices of the beyond bombarded Nora's head and it made it almost overwhelming. These whispers caused Nora to shake, but somehow, Nora persisted.
"I can shield you from the worst of it. But you have to keep running! Don't stop."
It was a risk they had to take. If Nora went fast enough, they could do this. If not, well the Anti-Matter would have gotten them anyway.
They both passed through the veil, just an instant before the Anti-Matter wave consumed everything on Earth-7.
Not the first Earth which would be destroyed, and not the last.